The cries of shiver me timbers weren’t quite audible from the sideline, but you can bet the Lloydminster Vandals were uttering a few curses of their own after being dismantled 58-14 by the Central Alberta Buccaneers in Lacombe Saturday.
From the opening kickoff in the second week of the Alberta Football League, the Bucs looted possessions from the Vandals all day long, including recovering an opening kickoff onside kick.
“We decided we would do that, thought we would catch them by surprise. We had confidence in what we could do,” head coach Fred Knip said.
“We watched their game film. They put 66 points up against Parkland Predators, but I’m thinking they came into this house confident that they were going to be able to do something on us. I thought if we take the edge of that and keep moving, we could catch them off guard.”
Judah Knip connected with Axsivier Lawrence on that opening drive, one of three touchdowns on the day for the Bucs wideout.
“Just good play calling,” said Lawrence about the offensive play on Saturday. “Good play calling opens up the field and gets people open.”
Knip then hooked up with Jesse McPhail early in the first quarter for his first of three touchdown catches on the night.
The Bucs led 34-0 at half, with Lawrence hauling in his third touchdown to kickoff the second half before McPahil busted through the defence after a short pass for a 44-yard score.
The Vandals added touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarter.
McPhail and Knip hooked for the final time on a 55-yard pitch-and-catch to make it 55-14 in the fourth quarter and Tylor Johanneson added a field goal to cap off the scoring.
“Judah is a great player out there; he has great confidence. I like the way he works; he’s systematic,” the head coach said. “He’s got some excellent receivers and slotbacks working for him. When you get Axsivier and Jesse, Ian (Krause) and Corbin (Knip), you get these guys out there and they get open. When they get open he sees it.”
The Bucs are now 2-0 early in the AFL season, with 128 points scored and only 28 allowed. Surprisingly, that’s second in the league behind the defending champion Fort McMurray Monarchs, who have scored 131 points through two games.
Next up for the Bucs is a home date with the Calgary Gators at ME Global Park in Lacombe with kickoff set for 6 p.m.